A Spider's Reaction
by pook
Summary: A post 'A Brilliant Career' episode story.
1. Chapter 1

A Spider's Reaction

Pairing – MK

Rating – M to be safe but nothing too bad.

A post 'A Brilliant Career' episode story.

Author's note - Many thanks to Cami for the magic red marker.

Disclaimer - I don't own them but I promise to return the crew to the boat when I've finished.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_Barry General Hospital_

Sighing, Kate thanked the heavens as she glanced at Mike when they reached the bottom of the final flight of stairs.

The longer they walked the more breathless Mike had become and the more pronounced his limp had appeared despite his best efforts to disguise it. The sheen of sweat forming on his forehead was a dead giveaway that all those stairs had been too much for Mike, even with the distraction of talking about Walsman, the Samaru Islands and the mercenaries.

"I should've picked you up from the main entrance, sir," Kate apologised.

Wiping his forehead, Mike gripped the hand rail as the throbbing pain in his leg increased. "It's all right, Kate. I want to walk out of hospital on my own two feet, unlike how I arrived." He may have fooled the doctors, but it was obvious that he hadn't fooled Kate, despite his best efforts. He'd pushed himself and had told a few white lies to get out of hospital as quickly as possible. The only thing that kept him from going insane with boredom for the two weeks that he'd spent in hospital had been Kate's and his crew's infrequent visits … and the discovery and subsequent suspicious death of the mercenary that Kate had shot … and the way that Ray Walsman's visit had coincided with the man's death.

"Sir, you still would've walked out." Shaking her head, Kate had more proof that Mike was born under the star sign, stubborn. "Just not so far."

"Kate, where's your car?" Mike ignored her but knew she was right.

"Over there, sir." Kate pressed her keys and the silver Volvo's indicators flickered. "Just a moment." She threw Mike's blue backpack on to the backseat, and then she adjusted the front passenger seat back as far as it would go, so Mike's tall frame could easily fit in her small car.

With a bit of struggle and a few over the top melodramatic grunts, Mike slid into the front passenger seat. "Should've driven my car."

It was Kate's turn to ignore his light-hearted barb as they drove to Mike's house.

* * *

After changing into some comfortable long shorts, Mike collapsed on to his couch, relieved to be home at last as he rested his foot on the coffee table. The heavy denim fabric of his jeans had rubbed the still healing wounds on his left thigh.

He could hear Kate pottering about in his kitchen. "Kate, what are you doing?"

Closing the fridge, Kate replied. "Checking what you need, Mike." She thanked her lucky stars nothing had gone off. Mike hadn't had too many perishables in his fridge, just a slightly wrinkled apple and an extremely limp carrot.

"And so what do I need?"

"Almost everything. The cupboard and the fridge are empty. You do have, for some unknown reason, a lot of beer and wine."

Mike was happy that the he'd taken care of the important things. "All I want now is a cold beer."

Like any good X, Kate had anticipated his request and was already walking into the living room, carrying his brew. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Mike savoured the cool amber liquid. It had been too long between drinks.

Knowing how terrible hospital food was, Kate picked up her keys. "I better do your shopping so you can have something decent to eat."

"Don't worry, Kate. Leave it." Mike was tired and really didn't have much of an appetite anyway. He couldn't help but notice the dark circles under Kate's eyes. She looked exhausted too. Breaking in a new CO was hard work under normal circumstances, but when the new boss had an undiagnosed brain tumour that had made his behaviour increasingly erratic, it was no wonder she looked completely knackered. He tried his luck, hoping that she'd keep him company. He didn't want to drink alone and he was in no condition to go to the pub with his crew yet. "Please stay. I'm happy with pizza if you are."

"Okay. Pizza it is." Returning with her own beer, Kate sat down next to Mike. Worn out, once she sat down on his comfortable sofa, she knew she was unlikely to move for several hours. She was happy to accept his invitation to stay because she really didn't want to fight an unwieldy shopping trolley or deal with screaming toddlers in an overcrowded supermarket on this night.

The last two weeks had been hell. She was tired, but at least NAVCOM had come to their senses and had given the crew two weeks leave considering what had happened in the Samaru Islands and then with their replacement CO. Then, she'd endured an extremely difficult debriefing from Marshall. It wasn't surprising considering the Navy had a dim view on mutiny, no matter how justified.

"Good." Mike half smiled as he turned on the TV, flicking through the channels.

Kate grinned, recalling an incident in a secluded pizza bar years ago. "No hairy fish."

Mike laughed. "You remember that?"

In a pizza bar near Watson Bay, a younger and yet strident, Kate had called him very strange and a few other things, for ordering the horrendously sounding 'Death by Hairy Fish' pizza. It had been an all anchovy pizza - his favourite. If he'd been honest, he'd thoroughly enjoyed just provoking her, just to see the fire and passion in her eyes. She'd looked so damn sexy, and it had been the first time that Mike had realized that he'd fallen in love with Kate. He'd seen that fervour a few times since she'd been on his boat and it brought back a flood of warm memories, but also a mountain of regrets too.

"How could I forget? It nearly made me throw up." Despite the pizza, she remembered how happy she'd been at that time. They'd made love for the first time that night. She beamed, remembering all the sensations of the passion they'd shared for each other. Kate had known exactly what Mike was doing and why, and she'd been only too happy to go along with it just to see his crooked smile light up his handsome face and the twinkle in his eyes when he thought she hadn't been looking. She missed how easily they'd connected and the feelings he provoked in her.

"Be prepared, I'll be ordering my favourite ..." Mike smirked as he paused for effect. "'Death by Hairy Fish' anchovy pizza."

"Yuk!" Screwing her face up in disgust, Kate said, "You're still weird."

"Am not."

"Are too."

Crossing his arms, Mike put on his best toddler impression. "I am not!"

"How old are you?" Kate shook her head, but unable to hide her mirth. Maybe she should take him shopping so he could show a toddler how to act.

Mike phoned the pizza delivery company.

"So what's the plan while you're on medical leave?"

"I've got exercises I need to do every day I see a physio twice a week." Mike wasn't looking forward to the rehab exercises sessions with the physio. He knew it was necessary if he wanted to get back on the boat as soon as possible. Just the thought of the physio's thumbs digging into his scars was enough to make him wince now. Mike shifted position on the couch as the ache in his thigh grew, rubbing his leg, dragging the material of his shorts up with each stroke, exposing his thigh.

"Oh … God." Kate cringed. For the first time, she saw the pair of horrible reddish scars where the hot shrapnel had cut a ragged path through his thigh. Both jagged marks were around ten centimetres long and each still had the dotted lines of the staples running on both sides of the main incision mark. Just a decade ago, this type of wound would have cost him his leg and probably even his life. A chunk of ragged metal had nicked the popliteal artery. Only Swain's skill and the new emergency medical technology born out of the modern battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan had prevented Mike bleeding out in the wardroom.

Unable to prevent the flashback, Kate paled as the blood drained from her face, unable to look away. Jumbled painful memories played over and again in her mind.

The fireball of the white Ute exploding on the dock.

The thud of Mike hitting the ground.

Mike's dark, crimson blood staining his grey overalls. His very lifeblood oozing so quickly through Bomber's fingers despite best her efforts to stem the flow.

Swain's stressed voice as he answered Fleet Medical's questions.

In her slightly better nightmares, he'd lost his leg, his job and his sanity, but in the truly terrifying ones, Swain and Bomber had been unable to save him and he'd died on the boat, in the place where they'd had so many lively rip snorting debates about missions and so many other things. It had been no wonder that she'd found going into wardroom difficult and sleep elusive.

Shaking her head to rid herself of those morbid thoughts, Kate tried to recall the huge relief she'd felt the first time she'd seen Mike awake after his surgery. It had been the moment she'd actually believed that he'd survived, but the fear of how close he'd come to dying had made ridding her mind of those awful and realistic thoughts almost impossible. It scared her far more than she'd ever care to admit. Although not religious, she'd prayed to whatever particular deity had happened to be listening to her for him to survive, unable to contemplate what the hell she'd do if he'd had died. Now the guilt welled up with how little she'd thought about Jim as she'd focussed completely on Mike. Kate realized now that she was in big trouble. Despite her attempts to move on, she was still very much in love with Mike. It was undeniable.

The deathly white look on her face nearly killed Mike, hating seeing her in pain. He took her hand and rested it on his damaged thigh. "Kate, it's all right. I'm okay."

He could only imagine what she'd gone through. Mike remembered vaguely saying something to Jim in the back of the Ute as they'd headed to the dock, but he had no memory of getting out of the Ute, the mortar explosion or its aftermath. But he knew Kate would've seen it all from the Bridge. It must've been horrendous for her, watching it all unfold, unable to do anything to stop it. Somehow, she'd finished the job and got his boat and his crew home. Marshall had filled him in on how professionally Kate handled everything, just as Mike had known she would. To be honest, the way he felt now as he held her hand, he wasn't so sure he'd be able to do the same if she'd been the one hurt.

"Mike … I thought I'd lost you," whispered Kate.

"I'll be fine. Really. Now that you're here. With me." Mike squeezed her hand, reassuring her, and more importantly, to himself that they were there together. His thumb slowly rubbed the back of hers. He had been grateful to Jim though despite their cool relationship. While Mike had been in hospital, Jim had come to thank Mike for saving his life. Jim had told him what had happened in the wardroom, and in typical gung-ho SAS fashion, Jim had told Mike what he should do about it. And, Jim had been a hundred percent right. After this particular near death experience, he finally realised that life was far too short to put the Navy above his chance of the love of a beautiful woman and a lifetime of wonderful memories.

Although Mike had no memory of anything Kate said on the boat, the first thing he'd recalled had been her hand squeezing his hand in hospital. Even through the fog of pain and the drugs, he'd recognized her touch, her delicate hand on his, and it had calmed him, bringing him peace, knowing that he was still alive, and perhaps he'd something to live for.

Kate moved closer to him, sliding her arms around him, drawing him into her, and then she rested her head gently on his broad chest. She wanted to hear his heart beat, to convince herself that it wasn't a sick nightmare. She needed the final proof that he was okay. And he was. His strong heartbeat was a tonic to her soul, filling her with a sense of peace that she hadn't felt for years. Her hand feathered along his cheek and then wove through his dark hair, moving him closer to her, as she searched his face for any hint of doubt, but only found love.

Mike edged closer too, his gentle fingers caressing her face and neck as his lips closed in on hers. Kate's warm breath tickled his face. The look of love in her green eyes astounded him. He was hers totally, and realised that she was his. "I love you, Kate."

The distance between them finally closed, they kissed, and then they were one.

With his arms around his Kate, caressing her back, he enjoyed how wonderful she felt against him as Kate snuggled in as close as she could. It had been far too long since he'd felt her next to him. Her scent hadn't changed. He couldn't deny it or her anymore.

Content, Kate relaxed completely comfortable in his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

A knock on the door interrupted the couple cuddling on the sofa.

"That'll be the pizza," said Mike.

Kate sniggered. "I suppose you want me to get up."

He groaned overdramatically while attempting to but failing to get up, and then tried on his best boyish charming smile. He was far too comfy, snuggling with Kate to contemplate moving.

She elbowed him. "You get the pizza and I'll get the plates and some more beer." Struggling to resist his charming smile, Kate wasn't about to let him get away with that, and besides, she knew he had to use his leg otherwise it would become stiff and set back his rehab.

"All right, Kate. You win." As Mike rose from the sofa, he yelled to the deliveryman, "Just a minute!"

Mike got the money from his wallet, and then opened the door.

A balaclava-clad man barged his way in, elbowing Mike in the jaw.

Mike staggered back a few steps.

Andrei Szapolyai pointed a handgun at Mike's head.

"Kate! Run!" Ignoring the gun, Mike screamed as he grappled with the man.

"Mike?" Kate recognized the urgency of his order but ignored it, and raced toward the hallway.

Andrei easily dodged Mike's attack. He knew exactly where to hurt the Navy man when he brutally kneed Mike in his left thigh.

"Arghhh!" Mike screamed in agony, collapsing to the ground, but he didn't give up. He had to stop him, to give Kate a chance to escape. He stretched out and grabbed one of the man's ankles, stopping the attacker in his tracks.

"Shit!" Andrei didn't have time for this. Violently twisting around, he slammed the gun into Mike's head.

Mike dropped to floor like a dead weight, and this time, he didn't get up again.

"Hey!" Kate screamed as she saw the blow to Mike's head, and then launched herself at the man.

Andrei tried to aim the gun at Kate but didn't get a chance. She was quick, but he was stronger. He blocked Kate's first blow, and then delivered a hard jab of his own that stunned Kate. He lifted her up off her feet and forced her back down the hall, and into Mike's bedroom and onto his bed. He quickly secured both Kate's hands with a zip tie and then tied her hands to the bed.

White dots appeared in Kate's vision as she fought against the pain and the confusion. With a shake of her head, she recovered her senses, and then Kate renewed her fight, kicking and bucking, occasionally connecting with Andrei. There was no way she was going to submit meekly to whatever the man had in mind. Kate was unwilling to think about what he had planned either. She was too busy fighting for her life.

Gold buttons flew off Kate's white dress shirt.

"Stop struggling!" He wanted her to know why he was doing this. "Suka! Stop it!" Sidling down Kate's legs to stop her kicking, Andrei was impressed that there still was no fear in her eyes, but he didn't allow her to distract him from his mission.

"Go to hell!" Kate roared.

Andrei took the handgun and jammed it against her temple, forcing her head to the side, while the other hand held her down by the throat. "Enough!"

For the first time, Kate was scared as she felt the cold steel of the barrel press hard into her skin and she now couldn't move, let alone breathe.

He ran the hard barrel down her face and along her jaw and then pushed the barrel, forcing her to face him. The Russian smiled cruelly, knowing he was going to enjoy this. The barrel then travelled down the middle of her chest, around her breasts and then pressed onto abdomen.

Kate shuddered, but tried not to show her fear by spitting in his face.

It earned her a back hander.

Kate shook off the stars she saw and now really screamed for her life.

Mike woke, hearing Kate's blood curdling screams for help and he forced himself up. Kate was in trouble. As quickly as he could, he dragged himself toward his bedroom and the chilling sound.

Andrei aimed his handgun. "This is for Franz." He wanted to see the woman beg and then writhe in agony when he shot her in the gut, just as his brother had been. The bitch had killed his brother.

Mike launched himself, rugby style, at Andrei.

The gun went off.

Mike knocked Andrei off Kate. They tumbled off the bed, falling in a tangled mass of legs and arms.

Kate gasped, as the searing white-hot pain nearly engulfed her, but she was worried for Mike. She cried out, "Mike!"

Unfortunately, Andrei recovered first, and in seconds, he'd unloaded three quick punches that rendered Mike unconscious.

The police sirens grew closer.

Andrei swore again. He'd done what he wanted. He'd given her a painful gut wound. He only wished he could stay to watch the woman suffer, but he'd run out of time. Andrei picked up his gun and the shell casing, and left out the back.

* * *

TBC

Author's note - Suka is Russian for Bitch


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Don't you die … please!" Mike pleaded. Tears dripped down his face, but Mike kept pressing down on Kate's left abdomen, afraid to move, even to call for an ambulance, praying like he'd never done before, hoping that it would be enough to save her.

Kate was fading in and out of consciousness. She tried to focus on his voice, as he'd pleaded her to stay with him, saying that he loved her. She tried but failed to say anything. The pain had been too great and it was getting hard to stay locked on to Mike's deep blue eyes.

"Armed police! Show yourself!" warned the police officers as they slowly entered the apartment, guns drawn.

"In here! Call triple zero! Hurry! Please!" With a huge sigh of relief, Mike shouted over his shoulder and then turned his attention back to Kate. "Hold on, Kate. The police are here."

The police officers carefully stepped over the tipped over table, noticing the blood splatter on the wall and the fifty dollar note on the floor, and went toward the sound. After a quick look around the lounge room, they declared the room and the kitchen clear.

They stood by the closed door and after the senior constable counted to three silently, he opened the bedroom door, and Adrian stormed in.

The senior constable immediately called for an ambulance and back up when he saw the two people covered in blood.

* * *

_Barry General Hospital_

"How's Kate McGregor?" Mike asked, ignoring the aches and pains of his body. "She was shot."

"I'm sorry, Mr Flynn, I don't know. Let's just get you fixed up." ER Doctor Ryan Millard unwrapped the wound dressing on Mike's leg and could see one of the two fresh scars that had split open. "What's this from?"

"Shrapnel wound. Two weeks ago," Mike said, cringing as he saw the jagged wound.

"Okay." Ryan poked and prodded at the split open shrapnel wound, which oozed a small amount dark blood. "We'll need to restitch this." The doctor didn't have to examine Mike's nose, it was clearly broken, but as it looked a clean break, Ryan could set it there. The small cut on the side of his head was clean as well. Ryan would keep Mike overnight because of the possibility of a concussion.

"Doctor?"

"It's not too deep. I'll be back with a couple of suture kits."

The detectives stood to one side while the doctor finished his examination before returning to ask Mike about the attack.

"No, he didn't speak." Mike said, exacerbated. The two detectives kept asking the same questions, posed in different ways and Mike had answered them all but he'd lost his patience now. He'd gone through the whole attack several times. All Mike wanted to know was if Kate was all right. They'd gone off to the hospital in different ambulances and now no one would tell him how Kate was and he was worried sick. He didn't care about his injuries.

"Sir, what did he look like?" Detective Inspector Paul Waite asked, checking his notes, to ensure Flynn didn't deviate from his previous statements.

Mike could've screamed but answered anyway, "Over six feet. He was dark with a muscular build, and wore a blue shirt and black jeans."

"We'll get on to the database and see what it turns up while we wait for the Scene of Crime officers to come back with anything. We'll call later in a few days to take a formal statement."

"And …"

Paul knew what he was asking. "I have to be honest with you, sir; if he isn't on the DNA database then it's unlikely that the man will be caught." The description was vague. The man had made his escape without any one seeing him leave, and so Paul figured it was a drug fuelled home invasion, looking for money, like most crime was these day. It was hopeless unless they got lucky with a DNA sample. The unlucky attacker wasn't expecting two people to put up a fight as they'd done. "Thank you, Mr Flynn. We'll get a formal statement in a few days time." He closed his notebook and put it into suit pocket. He passed his card to Mike. "Here's my card if you think of anything else."

Mike took the card, answering automatically, but his mind was elsewhere, "Right."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Early the next day._

Chris, Pete, and Andy barrelled their way into Barry Hospital. Sally had seen the early TV news and the report of a shooting and home invasion. She went pale when she'd recognized the Mike's address and immediately had woken Chris up. A couple of hurried phone calls later and soon Pete had picked Chris and Charge up and they'd raced to the hospital.

"Could please you tell me where Mike Flynn is?" Andy asked the receptionist.

"Ward 2, room 13."

"Thank you." Andy followed Chris and Pete in to the lift.

Pete knocked on the door and waited for an answer.

None was forth coming.

"Swain?" Pete asked.

Chris nodded and opened the door.

The bed was empty although it had been slept in. An IV stand and monitor and all the lines and leads were left dangling.

Andy shook his head, after he checked the en suite. "Where's the boss?" Charge wondered aloud.

Chris checked Mike's chart. His last check had been at 0500, two hours earlier. "He seems to be okay." Mike's vitals had been normal.

"Let's go and ask a nurse," Pete suggested.

"Nurse, do you know where Mike Flynn is?" Chris asked.

"No. He's down in ICU," the nurse replied.

Chris looked incredulously. What was going on?

* * *

Mike watched Kate sleep as he sat uncomfortably in a wheelchair next to Kate's bed, his thigh heavily bandaged, one eye was swollen shut, and his nose taped together. His hand rested lightly on hers; just like she'd done when he'd been lying in this hospital a fortnight earlier. He'd remembered waking up and she being there holding his hand. It had comforted him and he hoped to do the same.

"Kate," Mike kept repeated her name. She looked pale but battered and bruised. He reached up to caress gently the red welt on her cheek. It sickened him that she'd been hurt, again, in his house, and he couldn't protect her. However, he wouldn't tell her that, he smirked, she'd have his balls for saying that. Kate was capable of looking after herself.

Kate stirred, her head rolled back and forth slowly. She was coming around.

Sighing, Mike sat up straighter. "Kate, I'm here. You're all right." He'd been reassured by the head nurse and the doctor that she'd been lucky in that the bullet missed everything major. She was still serious but it could've been a lot worse.

Kate rewarded him with squeeze from her hand and he smiled broadly. "C'mon, Kate, wake up."

Fully awake now, Kate's eyes flew open. Where was Mike? Confusion reigned. She had to know if he was all right. "Mike?"

"I'm here, Kate." Mike struggled to stand up, balancing on one foot, and then spun around so could sit on the edge of her bed. It felt so good to see those eyes, sparkling back at him. He clutched her hand tightly.

Kate groaned, in pain from the sudden movement. After a deep breath, she took in her surrounds, analysing quickly that and her condition. Unfortunately, she also remembered everything that happened, but Kate couldn't hide the shock of seeing Mike bruised and bandaged up again. "Mike, are you okay?"

"Yeah, he just reopened my thigh and I'm bit sore, that's all. You'll be okay, too." Mike caressed her face before leaning over to kiss her forehead. "Thank you." He thanked Kate for coming back to him; the relief was beyond words, and Mike felt elated, but exhausted. He hadn't slept a wink.

Kate sighed, enjoying the feeling of his soft lips on her. "Mike, love you." Raising a hand up, she cupped his face, carefully avoiding his nose and shut eye, and drew him to her, kissing him tenderly.

Mike lingered close to Kate, unwilling to break their connection. He whispered sincerely, "I love you too."

A smile grew on Kate's face, and any pain she felt disappeared with his declaration. "I know."

Mike finally gave into the growing pain in his leg. "Sorry, I got to sit down. My leg is killing me." Mike returned to his wheelchair, and then manoeuvred his leg back onto the horizontal panel that kept it straight out.

The nurse and the doctor came over when she saw her patient was awake, telling her everything that had happened, her treatment and prognosis.

The nurse took her vitals and wrote them on her chart. "Ms McGregor, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"Pain?"

"It's okay."

The nurse scoffed and then turned to Mike. "And you, Mr Flynn?"

"I'm all good."

"Liars,' the nurse muttered to herself as she left to attend the less recalcitrant patients in the ward.

Kate and Mike heard the rushing footsteps coming toward them. Then they heard the nurse direct the herd of elephants toward them.

"XO?" Chris was expecting the boss to be the one in a hospital bed. They'd assumed the boss had been shot.

They were not expecting to see the XO, lying in the ICU.

Looking back and forth between the Boss and the X, they all looked worried. Both looked like they'd been used as punching bags and a lot more. Just what had happened? Chris had tried his police contacts on the way to hospital, but his contact couldn't tell him much. It hadn't been logged in yet.

Pete butted in, "It was on the news …."

Charge felt compelled to get to straight to the point and interrupted, "What happened?"

Kate looked at Mike and shrugged, allowing him to answer.

"A bloke barged into my apartment, there was a struggle, and then Ka … the X was shot."

They ignored Mike's slip of tongue.

"X?" Pete stepped forward, concerned.

"I'm okay."

Charge's eyebrow nearly connected with the ceiling.

"Really," Kate reiterated.

Chris read her chart to be sure. She'd been telling the truth. She seemed okay.

Pete recognized that Kate wasn't going to elaborate so he turned his attention to his CO. "Boss?"

"Just a few bruises. Nothing serious." Mike was also reticent to go in to details.

It was Chris's turn for his eyebrow to rise, not believing a word. They'd nearly lost the CO and the X in the Samaru Islands and didn't care to repeat that experience.

* * *

After receiving the call from Ms McGregor's doctor to say that she was awake, Detective Inspector Waite and Detective Sergeant Don Knolls entered the ICU and Kate's room.

"Inspector?" Mike asked.

"Ah, Mr Flynn, hello again," DI Waite replied, not expecting to see the man up and about so soon after his ordeal.

Mike explained, "X, guys, the police."

Kate looked at Mike. She knew she'd have to talk to the police at some stage and it appeared Mike had already done so.

DI Waite introduced himself to Kate, and then asked, "Ms McGregor, are you ready to answer a few questions?" Paul looked at the four men. "Alone."

"Yes." Kate didn't want Mike to go but understand why he had to. "Sorry, sir, guys, can you give us a minute?"

Mike didn't want to go but knew he had to, but it didn't stop him giving her a look that meant he'd be back. "Swain, can you give me a hand?"

"Yes, sir." Chris wheeled Mike out of ICU and back to his room, with the Charge and Buffer following behind him.

Paul opened his notepad and began to write as he questioned her. She confirmed Mike's version of events and description of their attacker. It seemed Kate had been very lucky. Some home invasion ended up in sexual assaults, when the perpetrator took advantage of the situation. If it hadn't been for Flynn, Paul knew exactly what the man could've done to her. Having a gunshot wound was bad enough but it could've been a lot worse.

The only thing she added was that the man had spoken only a few words, mostly threats, but when Paul had asked if the attacker had had an accent, she'd shifted uncomfortably. She seemed distracted and Paul surmised she was in pain from her injuries.

Paul cut the interview short. "We have enough to start. As I told Mr Flynn, I think this was a home invasion by some drug user. I'm sorry but unless his DNA is on file, the chances of conviction are slim."

She shrugged. "All right." She ignored the inspector's theory; there were far more important things for her to worry about.

The detectives left.

The nurse came back in and asked, "Everything all right"

"Yes," Kate answered, "Could you please send for Mike Flynn?"

"Okay." The nurse smiled, knowing how much they were in love just by the looks they shared.

Soon, Mike was wheeled back in to her room.

"X?" Mike wondered what was going on. The DS hadn't said anything.

Kate said, "Mike, I know who did this."

Mike saw Kate's eyes. He understood. The ICU was hardly secure. He bent down toward her so she could whisper it into his ear.

Mike's fist clenched when he heard what she had to say.

She'd told him that the attack bore all the hallmarks of the people that had dogged them for the last few months and the hidden hand behind their attacker.

Kate whispered, "Eastern European mercenaries means …"

"Ray Walsman." Mike finished Kate's sentence.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Later that day, Mike was discharged, and he limped out of the hospital to shower and change before he returned to be with Kate, not caring if anyone saw them together.

"Mike?"

A familiar voice from behind called Mike and it chilled him to the bone.

Ray Walsman and his daughter, Carly.

Mike closed his good eye. He wanted to walk up to him and punch him. He'd seen Kate's scar. Not pretty.

If he'd been honest, he wanted to kill him. His anger was building like a volcano. He was barely controlling it. He thought about going to Hammersley and getting a 9mm to shoot Ray fucking Walsman just like Kate had been, but he couldn't. So many people had died already. So many people had been hurt because of Ray Walsman and his henchman. No force on the planet could've stopped Mike if Kate was lying in the morgue now and not the ICU. He'd have gone to the ends of the Earth to hunt him down.

Mike wondered how Ray would feel if it had been Carly, in the hospital, with a gunshot wound. How would he react? Mike knew exactly what Ray would do. He'd do the one thing that Mike wished he could, but would never do. Ray would kill the person responsible. In cold blood. For revenge. Personally. Of this, Mike had no doubt.

Not at all happy with the situation, Mike resigned himself to the fact that at this moment, Ray thought he was untouchable, but one day Ray would make a mistake and Mike would be there to see him pay for what he's done.

Feigning a smile, Mike turned around. "Ray."

Ray looked genuinely shocked. "What happened?"

"It's nothing. Really." Mike had no inclination to tell Ray anything and the thought breathing in the same air as him was enough to force bile to rise up his throat, but he stayed so it wouldn't be suspicious. "Just a disagreement at a bar."

"Ah." Ray nodded; but he could tell Mike had lied. One of his mercenaries had gone rogue. Andrei had been threatening to do something, to seek revenge, against Mike and Kate McGregor. He should've kept him on Samaru. Now Ray had been forced to take action; he'd call Ivan, and he'd clean up the mess, leaving no traces, and soon that hothead Andrei wouldn't be a problem any more.

Looking at her watch, Carly interrupted, "Sorry, Dad, we're going to be late."

"Oh right. Thanks, sweetheart." Ray smiled at his daughter and then turned back to Mike and said, "Sorry, Mike, perhaps another time then. Look after yourself."

"Okay, Ray." Mike shook his hand and then left. He'd wash that hand with zeal as soon as he could.

* * *

_A day later_

Lying next to Kate on her hospital bed, Mike flicked on the TV to watch the news.

" … _Twenty Iraqis died in a yet another suicide bombing in Baghdad. Sixty civilians were wounded. The sixth such attack this month. _

_And now for local news. A man was found dead in the mangroves, shot, execution style. The man's identity is unknown. He was six foot three, well built with dark hair and complexion. This is an identikit picture of the man. Call Crime stoppers …"_

Kate swore, pointing to the screen, "That's him."

Mike couldn't be sure. He'd barely seen the man. It was the reason that baffled Mike. His execution seemed similar to those of the MV Beltaine crew.

Kate recognized that look on Mike's face. Like him, she was trying to figure out the why of this puzzle.

"I'm trying to figure out what's was going on."

"Walsman killed the guy that nearly killed Charge and me, and that I shot, to shut him up."

"And he's probably done the same here."

"Yeah."

* * *

A week later, Kate was convalescing at her home, and it was Mike's turn to potter through her kitchen. He'd barely left her side, cooking for her and keeping the boredom at bay by plying her with trashy romantic DVDs and milk chocolate, while he read his classics.

With the dishes done, Kate and Mike sat cosily on her sofa.

Mike wrapped his arms around Kate, holding her close, listening to some quiet easy listening music, while they finished off the wine from dinner.

"Kate, I'm so sorry," Mike said. All week, he'd been mulling over how he couldn't stop the guy attacking Kate. It was just hard for him to know that he couldn't stop her getting hurt. It brought out the Neanderthal in him, wanting to protect his woman.

"Mike …" Kate took his hand in hers. "Don't. Please." She understood his guilt. She'd felt the same, when he'd been hurt. Anyone would feel the same if the person they loved had been hurt.

"I couldn't stop him ..." Mike stammered. He'd remembered seeing Kate tied up, with her white shirt ripped open, revealing her bra and soft breasts as that man toyed with her. "I thought he was going to ..." He couldn't finish what he was going to say.

"I did too," Kate said softly. She'd thought the same and it was the stuff of her current nightmares, but just like in her nightmares, they'd turned out all right, because Mike had been there to stop him. "But you did stop him. You saved my life, Mike. Thank you." Kate turned around in his arms, and kissed him softly.

Mike sighed; resting his head against her forehead, as his fingers tenderly stroked her hair. He shook his head slightly. What had he done to deserve this beautiful woman lying in his arms? He had no idea, but he thanked his lucky stars. He'd been lost and now he was found. "Kate, …"

Kate moaned quietly.

Placing her arms around his neck, Kate pulled him toward her and kissed him again with more passion, while Mike caressed her back, holding her close to him, relishing the feel of her body against his.

Breathless, Mike murmured into her neck in between soft little kisses, "I love you."

Kate disentangled herself and stood up, and then offered her hand to Mike.

Mike stood up, gladly accepting her hand, and then followed her to the bedroom.

* * *

_fin_


End file.
